What is Nostalgia? For me, it is not about being stuck in the past. It’s about what I’ve been through, where I’m going, and who I am.
I get emotional feedback for this image. During my exhibition in the summer people from El Salvador, Turkey, Romania and Germany all had the same feeling looking at it: This is my hometown.
It makes me happy that it resonates with people from all over. The images used were from my last trip to Peru, where I was born. It was a wonderful trip about six years ago.
I went to Cajamarca in the Andes Mountains, and bathed in the natural Inca baths (baños del Inca). The air there is filled with steam and the smell of sulfur. It was like being in dream. Visiting Cajamarca was not just a dip in natural waters but a spiritual communion with the Inca legacy.
I was enchanted by Tarapoto in the Peruvian Amazon were I got a chance to heal and feel the power of Pachamama (mother earth). In one special night, the Amazon whispered its ancient melodies and Pachamama’s pulse echoed throughout the night guiding me in an Ayahuasca ceremony.
I reconnected with family and explored Lima, the capital, for a bit. It’s a city where the colonial past and the present coexist. A city where people from all over Peru go for a better living. You can feel its energy. It’s a concrete jungle.
And of course I spent time in Chiclayo, my home town in the north. It was a time filled with the melody of sunsets, the mouthwatering taste of ceviche, and the warmth of family bonds. Precious moments of long talks with my parents, laughter, and the comforting aroma of my mom’s cooking.
Nostalgia, to me, serves as a compass pointing to where I’ve been, guiding me to where I’m headed, and reminding me of the resilient spirit that defines who I am. What is it for you?
And of course DJ JimPanse killed it again with the playlist. Go listen and hear what the image means to him.